Syracuse University
#3 Georgetown
Men's Lacrosse Staves Off Two Georgetown Rallies to Win Regular-Season Finale, 15-14
5/4/2002 6:29:27 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Senior attackman Josh Coffman (Carthage, N.Y.) scored a career-high five goals on Senior Day at the Carrier Dome as his second-ranked Orangemen defeated third-ranked Georgetown, 15-14, in the final regular-season game for both teams. Syracuse held leads of 6-2 and 14-8 which the Hoyas were able to mount comebacks against. Georgetown's last rally saw them pull within one goal (14-13) with 3:19 remaining in the contest.
SU senior midfielder Tom Hardy (Tully, N.Y.) had two goals on the afternoon. His second goal was one of the biggest of his career. It gave the Orangemen a 15-13 cushion with 1:18 remaining in the game.
Neal Goldman and Mike Hammer connected on GU's final goal of the game with 55.8 seconds remaining. The Hoyas had another opportunity, but SU goaltender Jay Pfeifer (Towson, Md.) was cool down the stretch and stopped two shots by Trevor Walker and one by Walid Hajj in the fourth quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, Coffman had three goals and an assist and had helped Syracuse to a 4-2 advantage. He finished with a game-high seven points (five goals, two assists). Fellow Tewaaraton Trophy candidates Michael Powell (Carthage, N.Y.) and Steve Dusseau were also up to the challenge. Powell finished with three goals and an assist, while Dusseau paced Georgetown with four goals and one helper.
The Orangemen took a 6-2 lead at the 11:37 mark of the second quarter when senior midfielder Spencer Wright (San Diego, Calif./Junipero Serra) blasted home a shot off a feed from Brian Nee (Cockeysville, Md.) on an extra-man situation. The Hoyas then tallied four-straight goals to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:27 remaining in the first half. Dusseau netted two goals during the run. On SU's third extra-man opportunity of the game with 1:21 remaining in the second quarter, Michael Springer (Ridgewood, N.J.) sent a hard outside shot from about 20 yards out into the upper corner of the Georgetown net to give the Orangemen a 7-6 halftime edge.
Syracuse came out strong and notched the first four goals of the third period. Coffman and three midfielders registered goals during that time. Sean Lindsay, Steve Vallone and Tom Hardy helped give SU an 11-6 lead. Georgetown kept hanging around and managed to record three of the third quarter's last four goals. Hammer pulled the Hoyas to within 14-10 with an unassisted marker with 1:40 remaining.
The momentum shifted briefly at the start of the fourth quarter. The Hoyas won three of the first four faceoffs and registered three goals. Hajj pulled GU to within a goal. His unassisted tally cut the score to 14-13. That?s when Hardy and Pfeifer stepped up for the Orangemen.
Both teams now await tomorrow's announcement of the 2002 NCAA Division I Tournament field. Both Syracuse and Georgetown should be in consideration for a first-round bye, which gets awarded to the top four seeds in the tournament. The playoffs begin with first-round action May 11-12 at Brown and Delaware. The NCAA Selection Show will air LIVE on the Empire Sports Network on Sunday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m.
Syracuse 15, Georgetown 14
Scoring by quarters:
SU 4-3-7-1=15
GU 2-4-4-4=14
Syracuse Goals: Coffman 5, Powell 3, Springer 2, Hardy 2, Wright 1, Lindsay 1, Vallone 1.
Syracuse Assists: Coffman 2, Powell 1, Wright 1, Nee 1, Solliday 1.
Georgetown Goals: Dusseau 4, Hammer 3, Vincenti 2, Goldman 1, Paolisso 1, Staab 1, Walker 1, Hajj 1.
Georgetown Assists: Goldman 2, Dusseau 1, Hammer 1, Corno 1, Mueller 1.
Shots: SU 49, GU 43
Groundballs: GU 49, SU 36
Faceoffs: GU 18, SU 13
Clears: SU 21/24, GU 14/16
Penalties: SU 7/6:00, GU 3/2:30
Extra-Man: SU 2-3, GU 2-7
Attendance: 6,477
